COMMUNITY FORUM: Have questions about financial aid? Get them answered in person tonight

TROY -- Join us at The Record's Community Media Lab as representatives from the Higher Education Services Corp. (HESC), SUNY Albany and Siena give an overview of types of financial aid available to help families pay for college and review the applications needed to access financial aid funds.

From 6 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 29, Jen Dwire of HESC, Diane Corbett, director of Financial Aid at SUNY Albany and Mary Lawyer, associate vice president of Enrollment Management at Siena College, will give a presentation about financial aid and take your questions.

About the presenters:

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Dwire, has been helping people pay for college for over 20 years. Her experience in the financial aid field began as a work-study student in the Financial Aid Office while attending St. John Fisher College. After graduation, she continued to work with students and families as a Financial Aid Counselor at Monroe Community College and as Assistant Director of Financial Aid at the University of Rochester. Prior to joining HESC in January 2007, Dwire was employed by Key Education Resources as a client relations manager for colleges and universities throughout the northeast. Now at HESC, she manages the College Access Challenge Grant Program, a federally-funded program administered by HESC to increase college enrollment and completion among at-risk and traditionally underserved populations across the state.

Corbett is responsible for the effective administration of federal, state and institutional financial aid at SUNY Albany, an internationally recognized public research university with an enrollment of over 17,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.She is part of the University's Enrollment Management team and assists in meeting the University's objectives of access, attainment and diversity through the management of student aid programs. Corbett is an alumna of the State University of New York with over 25 years of professional experience in the field of financial aid including over 20 years of service to the University at Albany.

Lawyer has served students and families navigating the financial aid process for 15 years. Following her graduation from Siena, she was employed by C.L Marvin & Company as a staff accountant before returning to Siena's Office of Enrollment Management in 1997. Mary was promoted to director of Financial Aid in 2000, where she counseled prospective and current students on issues related to financing higher education. As a strong advocate for access to higher education, Lawyer has conducted financial aid presentations in high schools across New York State, New England and Maryland. In 2011, she assumed the role of associate vice president of Enrollment Management at Siena College, where she continues to educate students and parents about the financial aid process.

This is a great opportunity for students and parents who want to know how to get the most out of financial aid.

The Record's Community Media Lab is located at 501 Broadway, Troy. Parking is free and located in the parking lot behind The Record building, or across the street in the parking garage.